International Distillers & Vintners
International Distillers & Vintners was a brewing and wine and spirits distribution company, formed from the 1962 merger of W&A Gilbey and United Wine Traders.
Founders[edit]
W&A Gilbey was founded in 1857 as a gin distillery by Sir Walter Gilbey, but by 1962 had a diversified family share holding, chaired by former figure skater and politician, Ronald Gilbey.[1] He had resigned from London County Council in 1958,[2] to become chairman of W&A Gilbey, a post he held for eleven years. At the time of the merger, Gilbey's was the largest wine and spirits company in the United Kingdom.[1]
In 1972, the company was bought by Watney Mann, and became their consolidated wine and spirits division.[3] The group was taken over by Grand Metropolitan in 1972.[citation needed]
Merger[edit]
In 1997, Guinness merged with Grand Metropolitan to create Diageo. In 1998 IDV was merged with United Distillers to create United Distillers & Vintners, forming the spirits division of Diageo plc.[4]
References[edit]
- ^ a b "Obituary: Mr Ronald Gilbey". The Times. 3 August 1977. p. 16.
- ^ Jackson, W Eric (1965). Achievement. A Short History of the London County Council. Longmans. p. 263.
- ^ "Who are the Gilbeys?". GilbeyGroup.com. 29 June 2011.
- ^ Competition Commission Report 1983 Archived 21 January 2012 at the Wayback Machine
